Chapter 2, Soft Gaze

"Help me count the money, help me count the money," Lu Cai exclaimed joyfully as he dug out a calculator from the pile of clutter. "One hundred fifty million ghost coins equals one dollar in ghost currency. Help me count how much I have."

"Strange ghost," she murmured softly, squatting down to count each stack of paper money. After a while, she stood up and clapped her hands, "You have one hundred eighty-five dollars and thirty cents"

With a sound of "gola," the guest wearing sunglasses reached out to twist open the green-painted door, "Cai?"

"Cai, why are you confused again? I have been very indulgent with you. You said you don't want to stay in the hospital, so you won't stay in the hospital. You said you want to live in this kind of place, so I will let you live in this kind of place, but if you don't take your medicine, your illness won't get better." Then the guest said, "You are a living person, my brother, not some monster or ghost. You are just sick, so listen and take your medicine. If you don't take your medicine, I will take you home." He squatted down and gently stroked Lu Cai's long hair, "Your hair has grown so long. Look, you haven't taken care of your hair since the day you got sick. How about I take you to get a haircut later?" "You are a living person, my brother, not some monster or ghost. You are just sick, so listen and take your medicine. If you don't take your medicine, I will take you home." He squatted down and gently stroked Lu Cai's long hair, "Your hair has grown so long. Look, you haven't taken care of your hair since the day you got sick. How about I take you to get a haircut later?"

Lü Cai was still staring blankly at his paper money when he heard a voice and lifted his head, "Su Bai."

A person ascended the stairs, wearing a cap and sunglasses. She quietly walked past him, and he quietly walked past her as well. She descended one floor and looked up for a moment. That person was going to the 18th floor, perhaps to find someone named Green Color? Does Green Color have friends? For some reason, she felt that he should not have any friends.

A strange smile appeared on her beautifully adorned face, "She is my puppet; whatever I command her to do, she will do... She is very intelligent"

Do you recognize me? Are you feeling any better? Really..." The guest gently patted his head, "Have you taken the medicine prescribed by the doctor? Don't play with these paper money anymore, they are very dirty. Shall I have someone take them away?

"Making money, huh?" Lvcai pointed at the scattered ghost money, "Even ghosts need to live, and they need to eat almonds too"

I will not go! I will not go, I will not go! I have long been a ghost! I am not human! I have not gone mad! The one who is mad is you! It is you!" Lǜcǎi screamed hysterically in the room

Just as she had just asked the question, the dilapidated little door suddenly swung open with a bang. Green Color cheered and rushed in with the almonds, rummaging through a large pile of clutter in the room, searching everywhere and completely forgetting about her standing outside the door

Certainly

Hehe, weren't you supposed to go find a client? How did you end up in a place like this?

"You go, you go! I am no longer human! I do not want to see you!" Lu Cai crashed into Su Bai's chest, causing him to stagger back a few steps. Lu Cai, with disheveled hair, fell to the ground but continued to glare at Su Bai fiercely, as if she wished to devour his flesh and drink his blood!

That is your own foolishness. Yang Chengyan said: "I am leaving"

Su Bai stood up with a heavy heart, "You... you... you have made me so sad." He stumbled out the door, slamming it shut with a loud "bang," "Stay inside and do not go out! Tomorrow I will take you back to the mental hospital!"

"Aren't you coming with me? If you continue to hide here and play tricks, I will take you back to the hospital. If you don't want to stay in the hospital, then stop causing trouble! I know that sometimes you are clear-headed, very clear-headed. Don't say that you are schizophrenic and know nothing! You just know that you don't want to go back to the hospital! Who was that little girl just now? Didn't you say you don't want to see anyone? Why did she come down from you?" Su Bai asked sternly, "What kind of trick are you playing?" Who was that little girl just now? Didn't you say you don't want to see anyone? Why did she come down from you?" Su Bai asked sternly, "What kind of trick are you playing?"

Su Bai, do not interfere with my work! Since the day I became a ghost, you have been interfering with my work! I do not want to hurt you! Do not come to harm me again, I forbid you to harm me again!" Lu Cai screamed as she struck Su Bai, "Leave, leave! I do not want to see you!"

She finally could not hold back any longer, "What are you doing?"

He seemed to wake up suddenly, "Ah? Yes, yes, I was a model in the display window yesterday"

Hello? She took the initiative to greet him for the first time, "Were you really in the display window yesterday?"

"It is finished." She nodded

"I like to eat almonds," said Lu Cai naturally

"Come back." The green-clad figure, still searching around, casually uttered a phrase. She suddenly found herself involuntarily walking into the room, and the door behind her closed with a "bang." At that moment, she began to feel a sense of fear, "You... what do you want to do..."

"You—give me the medicine!" Su Bai, filled with rage, trembled as he opened the medicine bottle in his pocket, grabbing a handful of white pills and forcefully shoving them into Lu Cai's mouth. Lu Cai screamed and desperately resisted, but Su Bai seized his long hair, forcing him to lift his head and swallow the pills. "Tomorrow—I will take you back to the psychiatric hospital! You are harming others and yourself out here! I can't stand it for even a second! Cai, don't say that your brother is heartless; you are simply going too far!" Tomorrow—I will take you back to the psychiatric hospital! You are harming others and yourself out here! I can't stand it for even a second! Cai, don't say that your brother is heartless; you are simply going too far! If only you weren't sick!" He slowly loosened his grip on Lu Cai's long hair, cradled Lu Cai's face in his hands, and said with a trembling voice: "If you were like before, studying well, playing basketball and piano every day, how happy I would be! Cai... we have no parents, it's just you and me; why... why do you have to treat me this way?"

The hair of a ghost cannot be cut. " Lǜ Cǎi pushed Su Bái's hand away and hid in a corner of the room, "When will you believe that I am a ghost? I don't want to take medicine! I don't want to cut my hair! I don't want to see you! Go back! I don't want to see you!" He screamed as he threw a stack of ghost money at Su Bái's face. With a "bang," the ghost money scattered everywhere. Su Bái remained motionless, only frowning at him, his voice faintly tinged with anger, "How long are you going to make a scene?"

Yang Chengyan first believed that even ghosts could be quite foolish. It was when Lu Cai was flustered, trying to organize the paper money, that she helped him tidy up. After they finished organizing, she looked up and saw Lu Cai standing amidst the scattered ghost money, slightly tilting his head, lost in thought. The expression in his eyes was indescribable. Strangely, that gaze was very soft

My green eyes glistened with tears, "Su Bai, you should go back... just go back..." He hugged his head, "I don't want to... be with you."

"Are you done counting?" Green Color was left speechless.

This person not only has an unknown background, lacks a legitimate occupation, speaks nonsensically, lives in a remote and strange place, but also uses drugs like hallucinogens to abduct underage girls. Yang Chengyan felt that she should be nervous or afraid, but she was not. Perhaps it was because the guy mumbling to himself at the door, trying to open it, was too foolish, looking less like a pervert and more like a simpleton

"Do ghosts also need to eat?" In her concept, ghosts are entities with blood-soaked faces, greenish skin, and sharp teeth, lurking in ancient wells or crawling out of televisions, killing or scaring people in various unimaginable ways. "Why do ghosts also need to eat? Why do they need to eat almonds?"

"So it really does move," she asked, "Aren't you a ghost? Why do you want to be a model in the mall?"

Yang Chengyan sighed, "Can I go home once I finish counting?"

"How can I possibly count all of this?" Green Cai lay on the pile of ghost money, "Once I finish counting, I will send you home."

It is a pity that this person has such a beautiful face, yet is an idiot, perhaps even suffering from neurosis or delusions. Yang Chengyan intended to leave; the room decorated in green was filled with half a room's worth of paper money for the deceased, while the other half was cluttered with miscellaneous items. There was an antique-looking carved wooden table, a computer, and a glass bottle about half a person's height. The bottle contained half a bottle of strange and peculiar items, various colored block-like objects, each roughly the size of a thumb, feeling somewhat bone-like, with irregular shapes, as if they had been melted and then solidified in an instant, exuding an indescribable oddity. "I'm sorry, I have to go now," she said, intending to return to the hospital, "You... take your time and enjoy yourself..."

This idiot sometimes really looks beautiful

Green Dot nodded, still lying on his paper money, she really left, turning back to close the door. As she went down the stairs, she suddenly found it amusing, was that really a ghost upstairs? ... Like a ... ! ... idiot or fool, hmm! A fool! What a waste of such a beautiful face, he is really handsome, he should just become a star.

It's nothing, let's return to the company

Eighteenth floor of the dormitory building

So soon

This socially marginalized youth, whose origins are unknown, lacks a legitimate occupation, speaks nonsensically, and resides in a remote and peculiar location, invited a high school girl to his home. According to societal norms, she should have firmly refused and then called the police. However, she did not. In the moment when he grasped her hand, it seemed as if her thoughts momentarily blanked out. When she regained her senses, she found herself standing before a dilapidated small door, having arrived at the entrance of his home on the eighteenth floor.

"This is my money, you are not allowed to take it away!" Lu Cai suddenly shouted, "You leave, you leave, I want to stay here! I don't want to take medicine! I am not crazy, I am the demon Lu Cai! I am not human!" He warily looked at the guest, "I don't want to take medicine!"

Lü Cai revealed a look of great admiration, saying, "You are truly clever"

I also think the address was left wrong, right? It can't be here, " Su Bai said淡淡, his eyes fixed straight ahead, without looking at the beautiful driver.

Su Bai strode over, grabbed him from the ground, and slapped him across the face, saying, "I never expected you to be sick to this extent, to actually deceive a little girl who knows nothing! Do you have any conscience left? Do you know what you are doing? What is her name? Which school does she attend?"

You say you are a ghost, can you make these joss papers stack a little more neatly

Su Bai descended the stairs with heavy footsteps and hurriedly left the dormitory building. Upon exiting the dormitory, he took off his hat and glasses, letting out a long sigh. A Mercedes-Benz slowly approached, and he opened the door to get in. A soft voice from inside the car asked, "What happened?"

The rearview mirror of the car reflects clearly, revealing Su Bai's handsome and elegant demeanor, exuding charm and grace

"One bill is ten yuan, one hundred fifty million equals one yuan, this stack is fifty thousand ghost money, so this pile has fifty stacks, which amounts to two million five hundred thousand, there are three layers on the ground, three thousand seven hundred six stacks, which totals one hundred eighty-five yuan and thirty cents." She said, "Can I leave now?"